Why do you look at me, as if I am your escape?

There is no escape.

I want you, to hold you, to take you from your lonely bush.

The moment I laid eyes on you.

Your nectar must only be for me.

—𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘴

-

-

-

Ambrosia had taken an unplanned nap and woke up from the smell of freshly cooked chicken. Her stomach called out for food, which was the signal for Ambrosia to move her lazy self.

She hurried downstairs and nearly tripping over, her own feet in excitement for food. The dinner table was as large and it stretched nearly the whole length of the dining room. A chandelier hung from the high ceiling of the dining room, and curtains covered the windows that were on each side of the room.

Everyone was sitting chattering about the food and what they were going to eat, but the loud thumps of Ambrosia's footsteps drew their attention to her as she emerged like a zombie from the grave.

Tania stood at the opposite side of the table and she signaled to look at the clock.

It was 7:07.

Seven minutes late, give me a break.

"Yeah sorry I fell asleep," Ambrosia said quickly taking a seat next to her littlest cousin.

"I can tell" Aunt Annie giggled.

The rest of the family chortled along with her. Ambrosia felt her mess of hair a smiled awkwardly as she attempted to fix it.

"Now that we are all here we can finally eat-" began Tania's husband, Chris. But Tania cut him off.

"Mrs. Henway, Elias, come join us for dinner."

Mrs. Henway was in the kitchen working on some papers and looked up.

"Oh, I would love too, thank you," she said walking over and taking a seat on the side.

Elias was leaning on the kitchen table where his mother was but didn't move a muscle.

"No thank you, I'm not very hungry..." he answered.

Tania's eyes were fixated on him and she held out a plate of food. With one of those I-know-you-didn't-say-no-to-me looks.

"Nonsense, your living with us so why not eat with us!" she declared.

Knowing it was no use to argue with a painfully bossy middle-aged black woman her retrieved the plate and leaned on the wall behind Ambrosia.

Ambrosia cocked an eyebrow and pursed her lips.

"Living with us?"

"Yes," Aunt Tania said brushing her dress with her hands before she sat down.

"But why?" Ambrosia persisted glancing at Elias who looked completely disinterested, then to Mrs. Henway who was practically drooling over the food.

Tania batted her eyelashes, it was obvious she was irritated.

Ambrosia found that quite amusing.

"Mrs. Henway and I have come to an agreement that she would stay until the preparation for what to do with the house were settled, to make things easier of course" she proclaimed.

"Of course," Ambrosia said her voice coming out a little more sarcastically than in her head. Elias smirked and watched her.

"Let us pray," Chris said clasping his hands loudly to break the tension.

Everyone in the dining room bowed their heads and listened to the prayer spoken by Chris.

"Dear Lord, thank you for the opportunity to eat an amazing dinner cooked by my wife Tania, and that we can all be together to not only mourn the passing of Grandma Hill but also celebrate her life. A life that she shared with us. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen."

"Amen" everyone repeated in unison.

Each person filled their plates with the different foods that were available, whether it was biscuits, rice, chicken, or salad, everyone's mouth was full of food.

Mrs. Henway took piles of rice and macaroni and returned to her corner to feast. While Elias took a few things but gratefully ate them all.

Ambrosia took a moment to breathe in all the delicious smells that erupted from open pans and platters. She took a bit of almost every dish that was cooked and ate happily. Her cousin beside her was gnawing on a biscuit that came from the mountain on her plate.

After Ambrosia had finished she sipped on her water and leaned back in her chair. The family stayed to disperse one by one, each person going to their room.

Tania stayed to put away the food and her husband stayed back as well to help with dishes duty. Ambrosia reluctantly got out of her chair and went upstairs to her room. She took a quick shower and threw on a bland t-shirt with some sweatpants.

Ambrosia looked at the bed that she had put her sheets and covers on.

It still didn't feel right to her.

Ambrosia crawled into bed and curled up in the blankets. The room as deathly cold and the room was so large it was intimidating.

The temperature had dropped down to 63° outside.

An uncanny feeling crept up on Ambrosia. The shadows were moving in the corners, they were reaching for her, pulling at her heart.

No that's the shadow of the trees outside.

Voice, she could her voice, calling her name. Was it her grandmother?

Ambrosia.

No, you're tripping, that's the howl of the wind outside and the scraping of the branches on the window.

Ba-thump. Thump.

Where those steps of a murderer coming to get her? Ambrosia's thoughts ran wild.

She wasn't ready to die.

It was the ache of her heart, racing.

Something warm slipped down her face. She brushed her cheek with her fingers trying to wipe away the flood of tears that began to fall.

Ambrosia saw her grandmother with a girl resting on her lap. The girl looked like a smaller version of herself. The two smiled at each other while they read a book. The atmosphere around them seemed so pure. Her grandmother opened her mouth in a way that it seemed to show laughter. Ambrosia missed the sound of her voice and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't bring herself to remember what it sounded like.

Ambrosia sprang out of bed and grabbed her blanket fleeing downstairs as quietly as she could. She just could not sleep in the room. She wiped her face and tried to control her breathing.

Ambrosia shuffled into what looked like a large personal library. A small lamp was turned on resting on a coffee table near the back corner. Someone sat in the deep blue chair facing away from the door.

"Hello...?" Ambrosia whispered closing the door behind her as she walked barefoot on the cold wood floor.

She came closer to the chair and a soothing voice answered her.

"Ambrosia?"

Elias looked at her while she walked up beside him.

She smiled and sat on a foot resting stool, she stretched her feet out in front of a small fire that was burning in the fireplace across from them.

"Sorry to bother you," she said tenderly.

"Uh..n-no not at all" Elias said fiddling with something that looked like a pen in his hand.

He refused to look Ambrosia in the eye.

"Do you write?" She asked watching his pale skin redden slightly.

"Wha-no-I...uh..I-It's personal" Elias stuttered holding a little notebook closer to him.

Ambrosia noticed Elias was so shy all of sudden, it was almost like he was another guy.

She chuckled at his nervous response finding it adorable. Then she looked back at the fire. Her eyes followed the dancing flames on the small pieces of charred wood.

"Why did you come...down so late?"

"I couldn't sleep"

In that room.

"Were you scared?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Ambrosia saw Elias watching her talk and she moved closer to him.

"Um, I guess" Ambrosia yawned resting her head on the armrest of his chair.

"What are you scared of?"

Elias thought for a second.

"I'm scared of water.."

"Like drinking water?" Ambrosia giggled.

"No," Elias laughed resting his elbow the armrest and his chin in his hand, "deep waters, like pools and lakes."

"Interesting" Ambrosia yawned. She loved the sound of his laugh it was as smooth like a lullaby.

"I'm scared of ghosts," Ambrosia said tightly. "Even if their not real, my fear is in ghosts"

Elias laughed again sending fluttering feelings into Ambrosia's stomach.

Elias was so calming to talk too.

As they talked Ambrosia began to drift away into the safety of his voice. As she was dozing off she suddenly she felt something brush her curls back off her face and neck.

Ambrosia looked up to see Elias' fingers moving hair off her cheeks.

Ambrosia was too tired to tell him to stop and frankly she didn't want him to.

Her eyes felt heavy and sleep overwhelmed her.

"Good night, Ambrosia," Elias whispered.

-

-

-

-